The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 207 Liu Bei Wants to Build a Pastor's Garden, Zhuge Liang Plans Another Scheme for Ma Chao (3rd Update)
Liu Bei's hospitality deeply moved Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping.

The two exchanged a glance and immediately presented Liu Bei with all the six hundred bolts of fine silk, three hundred stones of salt, fifty fine horses, and five hundred iron plowshares they had brought with them on this trip.

Just as Liu Bei was about to decline, Su Shuang earnestly said, "General Zuo has not forgotten our old friendship, and neither have we. The world is in turmoil, and we merchants are also struggling. We offer this small gift to express our sincere wishes, hoping that General Zuo can soon restore order to the world and bring peace to the people."

Zhang Shiping also said, "At the beginning, we thought that the General, who came from a family of four generations of high-ranking officials, could restore order. However, in the past ten years, there has been continuous warfare and the people have suffered greatly. The General has brought only famine and war to Hebei. The people of Hebei, young and old, all hope that a true hero can bring peace to the people. We were buying horses in Yanmen. On our way, we first heard from the Wuhuan people of Yanmen that their leader, Afugan, was killed by the Left General after raiding Changshan. Then we heard that Zhang Yan and others, who were ravaging the Heishan area, had also surrendered to the Left General. Along the way, many merchants were also discussing that if the Left General were to govern Hebei, why would they have to worry about the barbarian cavalry and bandits invading and plundering?"

Having said all that, it would be too much for Liu Bei to refuse further.

He then assured the two men, "I will remember what you have given me today! If I am fortunate enough to take charge of Hebei in the future, I will do my utmost to ensure the safe passage of Han merchants and the peace of all directions!"

There was a pause.

Liu Bei then extended the invitation, saying, "I intend to invite you both to serve in the Left General's office as Attendant Gentlemen, specifically in charge of all matters related to the procurement, herding, and training of warhorses. What do you two think?"

According to regulations, Youzhou originally had an official pastoral estate to manage pastoral affairs, but due to the frequent wars in Youzhou, the pastoral estate was also abandoned in the flames of war.

Moreover, given Liu Bei's current authority, he cannot directly appoint the two as subordinates of the Pastor's Garden. Therefore, he specially appointed the two as Attendants of the Left General's Office, who are actually in charge of the Pastor's Garden duties.

This arrangement not only demonstrates Liu Bei's trust in Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping, but also allows them to rise from merchants to officials, just like Mi Zhu and Cao Xuan, and officially join the ranks of important ministers in the Left General's Office.

Liu Bei needed to train elite cavalry, which required a large number of fine horses.

Although Liu Bei captured a lot of horses from the Wuhuan people, most of these horses could not be considered fine horses. If every Wuhuan person truly had a warhorse that met the standards of the Han Dynasty, Youzhou would have belonged to the Wuhuan people long ago.

Liu Bei wanted to rebuild the government-run pastoral estate in Youzhou, but he lacked experts who could identify the quality of horses and were skilled in training them.

Liu Bei had this idea when he visited Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping in Zhongshan. Now that the two have personally come to Zhuoxian and presented generous gifts, Liu Bei is even more determined to rebuild the Pastor's Garden.

With the full support of Su and Zhang, everything from purchasing and breeding horses will proceed smoothly. Furthermore, this opportunity will allow us to recruit skilled craftsmen from all over the country who are good at judging and training horses.

Given time, Liu Bei will be able to acquire a large number of fine horses that meet the standards of the Han Dynasty and build a truly mighty cavalry!

Faced with Liu Bei's warm invitation, Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping exchanged a glance and then bowed and agreed: "We are willing to serve General Zuo!"

Having an official position is far better than being a horse merchant forever. If it weren't for Liu Bei's support, even if Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping worked hard for another twenty years, they would never have been able to enter the Left General's office as subordinates.

Liu Bei was overjoyed.

Upon their return to the mansion, Liu Bei immediately summoned General Zhuge Liang, Agricultural Commandant Mi Zhu, and Revenue Commandant Cao Xuan to the residence. Learning that Mi Zhu and Cao Xuan also came from wealthy merchant families, Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping felt a sense of kinship. However, when they met Zhuge Liang, who at the young age of twenty already held the prestigious position of General Zhuge Liang, wielding power over both internal and external military affairs and serving as the governor of Youzhou, Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping exchanged bewildered glances, their shock barely concealed.

If one were not a genius of extraordinary talent and possessed extraordinary wisdom, how could one assume such an important position at such a young age!
Subsequently.

Liu Bei then proposed to Zhuge Liang the idea of ​​rebuilding the Youzhou Pastor's Garden, and that he had decided to appoint Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping as Attendants, in charge of all matters related to the procurement, breeding, and training of warhorses.

"I understand your intention, General. Rebuilding the Priest's Quarters is indeed an important matter. However, it requires a great deal of money and supplies and cannot be accomplished in a short time." Zhuge Liang did not directly refute Liu Bei's idea, but he did raise the difficulties of rebuilding the Priest's Quarters.

Liu Bei was well aware of the difficulties involved. After all, almost all of Liu Bei's existing resources were obtained through irregular channels, and it would be quite difficult to acquire fine horses through normal channels.

But before Liu Bei could speak, Zhuge Liang changed the subject and looked at Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping: "You two have been doing business in Hebei for a long time. Do you know any merchants from Shu?"

Zhang Shiping pondered for a moment and said, "Before Liu Yan entered Shu, many Shu merchants would travel through Guanzhong to Hedong and then to Hebei to trade. Later, Liu Yan claimed that Zhang Lu was plotting a rebellion and blocked the Baoxie Road and other routes. After that, very few Shu merchants came to Hebei. Even those who claimed to be Shu merchants were mostly imposters."

Su Shuang then asked, "Is the strategist's inquiry about the merchants from Shu related to the reconstruction of the Pastor's Garden? I do know some Hebei merchants who have been to Shu."

Zhuge Liang turned to Liu Bei and said, "General, you should focus your efforts on this trip to Guanzhong."

Liu Bei's expression hardened: "Strategist, please speak freely."

Zhuge Liang revealed his plan: "The Shu region has brocade, which is quite different from the fine silk of the Central Plains. Because it can be woven with intricate patterns such as dragons, phoenixes, clouds, and flowers, and its colors are vibrant, it is highly favored by high-ranking officials and nobles. When you raid Guanzhong this time, you will likely come into contact with Ma Teng and Han Sui of Xiliang. If you can use Ma and Han's power to acquire Shu brocade, and then sell it at a high price to the powerful families in Hebei, you can not only raise money and provisions for yourself, but also reduce tax conflicts with the powerful families."

Liu Bei's eyes lit up immediately.

Liu Bei had also seen Shu brocade.

Back when he was still a student of Lu Zhi, Liu Bei greatly admired the Shu brocade clothes worn by the high-ranking officials and nobles among his fellow students. However, Shu brocade was really expensive and was simply beyond Liu Bei's means at the time.

Liu Bei's tone became more serious: "I understand the strategist's meaning. The main purpose of this raid on Guanzhong is not to fight Cao Cao, but to establish trade relations with Ma Teng and Han Sui and open up the trade route from Youzhou to Shu!"

Zhuge Liang nodded and revealed a deeper strategy: "Ma Teng has a son who is known for his bravery and strength, which is no less than that of General Zhang. If you can befriend him, you can not only open up the trade route from Youzhou to Shu, but also borrow Ma Chao's strength to march south to defend the emperor. However, Ma Chao has many Qiang customs and is not familiar with the etiquette of the Central Plains. If you want to subdue him, you cannot reason with him first. You can have General Guan, General Zhang, and General Huang take turns fighting him to blunt his arrogance; at the same time, have Shi Yuan and Yuan Zhi use military strategy to defeat him and weaken his military prestige. Only then can you show him courtesy."

Liu Bei was immediately puzzled: "Gao Gan has already gone to contact Ma Teng and other forces in Xiliang to jointly harass Guanzhong. Judging from the strategist's words, could it be that Ma Teng and Han Sui will help Cao Cao this time?"

　Update 3 is here!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)